Soccer-Magical Messi saves his best for last in Qatar

FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 - Semi Final - Argentina v Croatia - Lusail Stadium, Lusail, Qatar - December 13, 2022 Argentina's Lionel Messi celebrates after Julian Alvarez scores their third goal REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach

(Reuters) - As if he had not made enough fairy-tales, Argentina's little genius Lionel Messi has saved the potentially most magical script for his last World Cup - with one line left to write.

With immense pressure on him to match the late great Diego Maradona and send the trophy back to Buenos Aires, Messi has lit up the Qatar tournament while others in the superstar stratum - Neymar, Cristiano Ronaldo - have underwhelmed and gone home.